Why We Created This Site

More and more children today are growing up exposed to multiple languages from an early age. Like many parents, my husband and I are strong believers in the benefits of early bi/multilingualism, and we're always looking for the best ways to support our children's language acquisition. We also believe that "code-mixing"—mixing words from two languages in the same sentence—is a normal part of bilingual development and not a sign of confusion. In fact, we often see our own children code-mixing, sometimes in incredibly inventive ways that make us laugh! Children learn, over time, to control the amount of code-mixing they do (multilingual adults do it too!), understanding when it's appropriate and when it's not. It's a profoundly creative and often hilarious phase that paves the way for one of the most significant advantages of bi/multilingualism: the ability to connect with extended family, and maintain a connection to our family culture and traditions.

If you are interested in learning a bit more about what scientists say about multilingualism, you can read this 2013 study titled Bilingualism in the Early Years: What the Science Says.

We built out of sheer frustration.

We were interested in helping our children master two other languages, Romanian, and Hungarian, in addition to English. But, finding quality, engaging educational materials in Romanian and Hungarian (as it happens with many other minority languages) was a nightmare. When such materials existed at all, the translations were riddled with grammatical errors and English borrowings and couldn't be edited. Preserving a home language is challenging enough without the added burden of endless searches or the need to develop resources from scratch. We sought a faster method of generating materials. We wanted easy-to-access, printable, and engaging content and activities readily available right when a child's interest in a given topic was sparked. And this is how and why this site came to life.

This site is in English

English's global reach connects us across continents and cultures — we use English on this site to connect with a diverse audience. Yet English's usefulness should not overshadow the beauty and value of the world's myriad languages. Protecting linguistic diversity, particularly by nurturing children's first languages, enriches their minds and safeguards cultural heritage. We are in very early stages. As we grow, we hope to offer this site natively in many more languages.